On the Dark Dragon
by Lachivo
Summary: Have you ever wondered why there is even such a thing as the Dark Dragon? This is my attempt at explaining some of his motivation, as well as a few other details about the ADJL world I have been wondering about. It is written in monologue form, from Darkie to Jake, from within whatever pocket dimention he is trapped in these days.


A/N: I will remind you that this is the Dark Dragon talking, and that the story isn't going to be neutral. I'm sure you'll be able to see a few holes or some odd questions, but I like to think that both sides are right. I've considered writing the Dragon Council's version of events, if I can come up with something good.

* * *

Why is there only one American Dragon, do you think? Did you ever wonder? Why does the rules of lineage allow Europe have a plethora of dragons, while an area the size of the United States of America can have only one? It isn't that there are too few dragons - we are rare in these waning years, but not as rare as all that.

No. It is because we used to be kings. There may only be one dragon in a country for the same reason that there may only be one king. Every dragon had its dominion, and our spheres of influence decided the order of the world. The humans learned the Old Art of war by imitating us. They learned what power meant by mimicking our structures of nobility and might. And I... I was an emperor. My armies stretched over all of the known world. The sun never set on my empire.

Have you ever wondered, American Dragon, why humans always portray us as laying on piles of gold? We used to. They were our coffers for the war efforts. Dragons then were far different from the craven hatchlings of today. A dragon was a power onto itself. Our visage inspired fear and awe in our subjects, as the humans learned later to do to each other. To one such as I, it is a pitiful sight to behold such lowly creatures try to use the instruments of influence. It is like watching mice take the role of lions.

My empire's might stretched far indeed, and it took a coalition of imperial dragons to finally topple my throne. You know their decendants today as the Dragon Council. They made a structure of power based on halting conflicts, and in doing so, made their subjects flock to them. Not for their might, but for their benevolence. Their propaganda was effective indeed. It was a bold move, and one that cost them dearly, though I am sure they have convinced themselves otherwise over the ages.

Oh, it was a grand war. It lasted for hundreds of years, skirmishes were fought on every continent, the seas boiled with battle in the deep and the skies were alive with fire. Eventually, I lost to the coalition. I was beaten, but I was satisfied with the outcome. I had been bested by they who, while not my betters, had found a power together that was too much even for my might. I was prepared to concede my defeat, that a day might come when I again might claim my throne. They seemed ready for that outcome as well. And then... well. A lesson these young dragons had yet to learn was that, while their unity made them stronger even than I, it also made them prone to change. New members arose and old orders were exchanged for new ones. The core ideal of the coalition - to stop the constant conflicts with me - became broader and more ill-defined. Soon, their goal became to stop conflict altogether, between all their subjects. The Dragon Council was formed to this very end. And in that moment, the Age of Dragons ended.

The core ideal of the Council is to halt conflict, and so they will always curb any wars before they truly start. To them, any death is too much. And so, when the humans were released from the grip of the dragons and gained in power and numbers, when they took up the old dragon ideals of serfdom, nobility, kingdoms and empires, the Dragon Council did not recognize the signs. They merely tried to check the spreading tendencies of war, and when they failed, bade the humans fight only within their own borders, with other humans. Instead of stopping the warring creatures, they merely stopped it from spilling over onto other magical civilizations. They did not remember. Too much time had passed since the ages of old. The dragon ideals had changed, become craven and weak. They did not remember how dragons ruled the old world, how the constant competition made us mighty.

And so, the humans fought, and the council did nothing as they spread like a scouge upon the land, forging empires like we had so many millenia before. The council did nothing, even though they could have stopped them a hundred times and a hundred again while the power of humanity was still in its infancy.

When they finally came to realize what had happened, it was too late. Humans had formed the Imperial Civilization of Humanity, and were gaining in force with each passing moment. And even then, even when the Council saw what was happening - the birth of a new master civilization to rule all others - they were craven. They did not fight the growing empire, as their ancestors fought mine. They hid from it. They hid everything. Everyone whom Humanity might quarrel with, anyone whom they might enslave or ally themselves with, were hidden from their sight. The Dragon Council elected to hand over this world to Humanity without a fight, in an instant creating a sharp destinction between 'the magical world,' hidden in the gutters and corners of human civilization, and 'the human world,' which spread unchecked to every corner of the globe. And then... then they did the deed for which I shall never forgive them. With a spell upon all of dragon kind, they tied themselves to human forms, allowing them to look like the new ruling creatures, shortening our eternal lifespans and draining their mightiest magic to that of mere human wizards. I escaped the curse with my own magic, but it was a close thing.

They crippled all of dragon kind that day. And they have the gall to call me dark. They have the nerve, the hubris, to call me evil.

It is said that I am the only dragon to ever turn towards evil. I say that my ideals existed long before the council made the word 'evil' to describe them. But history is written by the victors, and they will portray me as they please. I can do nothing to halt it, and indeed would not if I could. My magic was banned and called black. My power was called evil. And I was called Dark. And in a flash, I, rather than Humanity, was the enemy of all. My power was abolished, and I was forched into hiding. I became a catch-all for the evil of this world, the same way humans use their most recent warlords. Pol Pot. Stail. Hitler. The Council was cunning. Propaganda was always their specialty.

I am a warlord at heart. Though the world has changed around me, I have not changed. I still think humans are mice in lion's clothing. I still think their machinations are clumsy and uninspired, and the only reason they hold this world in their grip is because the Dragon Council allows it. I think they are inferior, and I think their claim to power is false. They have made themselves the enemies of every other civilization of creatures in the world, and the Dragon Council lets them get away with it unchallenged by anyone but me and my allies.

Oh how I wish you would see the world for what it is: skewed and bent out of shape by the Council so that the weak might rule over the strong. Why do you allow it, American hatchling? Why do you protect this shattered order? Why are the humans more deserving of power than any other creature? Why do you insist that they rule the Earth, when we are so clearly, so very clearly, their betters? We are stronger of body and sharper of mind. We have more magic. Entire civilizations of humans could rise and fall in but one dragon's lifetime, were it not for the Council's crippeling magic. Their culture lives by our mercy. Why should they be allowed to keep my throne?

Because the Council says so?

Because you say so?

I do not accept that answer. I will fight to reclaim my old power. I will take back what I once had from these weak cravens, drunk on their own success and hubris. I can wait another millenium in this void if I must, American Dragon. Eventually, I will return, and I will bring Humanity, the Council, and all their allies to their knees. I will lift the spells that hide magic from humanity, and make the world right again. And then I will bathe their perverse empire in my fire, and show them the true meaning of might.

Would that you would join me, American Dragon. I will not say your name; before Humanity, we did not need names. I will not greet you while you wear a human form; it should be beneath your dignity to portray yourself as a human.

Maybe, when the humans have turned all that you love into dust and cracked all magical societies between their stunted teeth, when you are old and grey and your wings ache, and I remain bold and strong... then, perhaps, you will consider my words. I hope that you will, hatchling. You have such potential. You remain one of my most respected enemies.

Bear with you my love and hatred, American Dragon. And go. Leave me in peace. I have a campaign to plan.


End file.
